


STATE OF I^OUISIANA 



OUTLINE 



OF 



One-Week Teachers' 
Institute Work. 



ISSUBD BY THE 

State Board of Institute Managers 



1909-1910 



STATE OF LOUISIANA 



OUTLINE 



OF 



One-Week Teachers' 
Institute Work. 



ISSUED BY THE 

State Board of Institute Managers 



1909-1910 



n. OF D. 

MM 5 i910 









\^^ 






GENERAL STATEMENT. 

THE LAW GOVERNING INSTITUTES. 

Every teacher of a common school must attend the sessions 
upon penalty for non-attendance if satisfactory excuse has not been 
rendered to the parish superintendent, of forfeiting two days* 
pay. There shall be a vacation of the common schools of the 
parishes, to give opportunity to the teachers to attend; and no 
reduction of the teacher's salary shall be made during said vaca- 
tion, provided, he or she was in attendance the full time of the 
session of the institute. These institutes, held under this section, 
shall as far as possible, be held in' some town centrally locittd and 
teacher s ft om as nian\ Patishesas can conveniently attend shall be 
notijied to atte id. This notice they shall obey, under the penalty 
before mentioned. — Act of 1904. 

SUMMARY— Teacher absenting hereself from the sessions 
is subject to a fine of two days' pay and loses one week's salary. 



Possibly no single factor has contributed so much towards 
vitalizing and up-building the school system of the State as the 
One-week Teachers' Institutes and Parish Institutes (One or Two- 
day meetings). The outlines for these teachers' meetings have been 
carefully planned and aim to bring about better teaching. 

THE PURPOSES OF AN INSTITUTE ARE! 

(1^ To cultivate the true professional spirit and to inspire 
teachers with lofty ideals of life and of their profession. 

(2) To extend the teachers' professional and social acquaint- 
ance with their fellows. 

C3) To discuss and illustrate the best thought of the day con- 
cerning the organization, management and teaching of a success- 
ful school. 

(4) To bring teachers, school oflficials and patrons into more 
sympathetic relations . 



(5) To orgfanize the activities of the teaching force of the 
State to the end that the parishes may vote ataple taxes to build 
and equip comfortable, attractive school-houses in well-ordered 
surroundings, and maintain them during a term of nine months. 

With these objects in view this manual has been prepared, and 
we trust the teachers of the State will attend the institutes with the 
same earnestness and enthusiasm that has characterized them in 
the past. 

Yours very truly, 

r T. H. HARRIS, 
Board of State ! State Superintendent. 

Institute Managers ] J. B, ASWELlv, 

L Pres. State Normal School, 

I.. J: AI.LEMAN. State Institute Conductor. 

July 31, 1909. 






SUGGESTIONS TO SUPERINTENDENTS AND 
INSTRUCTORS. 

It should be the pride of every parish superintendent to pro- 
vide in advance the most favorable conditions practicable looking 
to the success of his institute. To this end a few general sugges- 
tions and directions, deemed essential to a completely successful 
Institute, are appended: 

1. Secure a commodious room for the Institute Make all 
necessary preparations as to blackboards, chalk, erasers, rulers, 
piano or organ, etc. See that the room is clean, and that a janitor 
is provided to give careful attetition to the room during the week. 
The janitor should see that a supply of good drinking water is 
kept constantly at hand, sweep the room and dust the seats care- 
fully each afternoon. 

2. Aopoint some person to write up notes of the Institute for 
the daily and local papers. In making this selection, fitness for 
the work should have precedence over every other consideration. 

3. Give cordial and urgent invitations to the people of the 
town and parish to be present during the sessions. Keserve the 
rear of the room for visitors. Keep the teachers together in ihe 
ftont of the roo7n. 

4. Make special efforts to get the members of the School 
Board and Trustees to attend, and have the teachers to extend to 
them a pressing invitation to do so. 

5. Have at least one night meeting, and make a special effort 
to have it well attended by the citizens of the community. 

6. The parish superintendent should encou age his teachers 
to be present, not only in body, but in spirit as well. To this end 
special arrangements should be made with the depository to have 
on hand a supply of books adopted for the Reading Course of 
1909-10. Teachers not doing the work outlined should not be 
counted as being present. It is impossible to do the work of ihe 
One week Institutes and of the Parish Institute (one or two-day 
meetings) without these books, as the work has been based 
largely upon in the Teachers' Reading Course. It has 
been found that teachers who fail to secure books at the 
One-week Institute, never get them at all and consequently fail to 
get any benefit from this important feature of the work. For this 
reason the books to be used are introduced at the One-week 
Institute in order that the superintendent may provide the books 
and have them on sale. No progressive teacher can afford to 
neglect doing the work mapped out in the Reading Course. 

7. If there is a considerable number of beginners in the Insti-* 
tute a separate division should be made of them in order that they 



may receive specific directions as to how to organi/e their 
schools, what do on the first day, how interpret the Course of 
Study, and how to teach the different subjects of the course. 
The Parish superintendent should also give them instructions as 
to making reports and keeping records, etc. 

READING COURSE FOR 1909-10 

DIVISION A. 

CFor teachers in High and Grammar Grades.) 
Professional! — ''Monroe's Brief Course in the History of 
Education." Price list to teachers $1.10. 

Cultural:— (1) ''Hodge's Nature Study and lyife." lyist price 
$1.50, price to teachers $1.25 (Grammar Grades.) 

(2) "Grammar and its Reasons." List price $1.50, price to 
teachers $1.25 (High School only.) 

(3) "Van Dyke's Essays in Application." List price $1 50, to 
teachers $1.25, 

DIVISION B. 

(For Primary Grades and Teachers of Rural Schools.) 

Professional! — "Brigg's and Coffman's Reading in the Public 
Schools." Ivist price $1.25, to teachers 90c. 

Cultural:— "Hodge's Nature Study and Life." List price $1.50, to 
teachers $1.25. (For Teachers in Grammar and Primary Grades 
and in rural Schools,) 

(2) "Van Dyke's Essays in Application.'' List price $1.50. to 
teachers $1.25. 

DEPOSITORY. 

Mr. George S. Whitworth, 138 East Boulevard, Baton Rouge, 
has been appointed as Depository to distribute the Reading 
Course books and they may be obtained from him by parish 
superintendents and teachers at the prices quoted to teachers. 

The books will be shipped on consignment to parish superin- 
tendents, the depository paying freight charges to the superinten- 
dents, and also bearing freight charges on all books returned by 
the superintendents. 



In case books are mailed to individuals, postage will be added 
to the above price. 

The Depository should be promptly notified by parish superin- 
tendents of the number of each volume they will need. 

THE READING COURSE 

Should be followed by every teacher in the State regardless of 
whether the local Institues are held in the parish or not. While 
nearly all of the parish superintendents hold local Institutes, 
three or four parishes have not in the past followed the course, 
and the teachers of these parishes have been deprived of the vast 
professional and cultural uplift resulting therefrom. 






MONDAY'S PROGRAM. 

10:00 A. M. 

1. Opening exercises, and preliminaries. Arranged by local 

authorities. 

2. Organization of Institute: 

(a) Opening Remarks by Parish Supt. 
id) Opening Remarks by Instructors. 

3. Lesson in Writing, Drawing, or Phonics. 

NOON 
1:30 P.M. 

4. Tlie Art of Queslioning. 

((a) History of Education— Division A. High and Gram- 

5. < mar School Teachers. 

( ib) Reading in the Public Schools — Division B. 
g f (a) High School Course of Study— Division A. 

' 1 ib) Elementary Course of Study— Division B; Division C. 
7. Assignment for Tuesday. 

OUTLINES FOR MONDAY'S PROGRAM. 

1. Opening Exercises. (35 minutes). 

It is suggested that the conductor arrange with the local au- 
thorities for such form of preliminary ceremonies as may be ap 
propriate. 

Organization of Institute! 

1. The parish superintendent's remarks should throw some 
light on existing conditions in the parish and dwell on the particu- 
lar needs, 

2. The remarks made by the instructors should aim to do two 
things. 

(1.) Talk on some important subject in connection with the 

aim and work of the week. 
(2.) Establish sympathetic relation between himself and 

the institute corps. 

3. The parish superintendent should act as secretary of the 
meeting and keep a strict account of the attendance twice a day. 
This would make it unneccessary to call the roll. The teachers of 
the parish schools should be held to a business-like account for 
attendance at the Institutes, and, more important still, they should 
be held to account for doing the required work. The parish and 
the State are under expense to provide the professional training 
and no teacher can afford to miss the opportunity offered. 



3. Lesson in writing, drawing, singing or phonics. 

It will be the aim of the Institute Board to have at least one 
series of the above lessons presented at each institute. 

4. The Art of Questioning. 

Based upon Pamphlet by J. G. Fitch, published by A. Flanagan 
& Co., Chicago. Price 15 cts. Handled by Depository 

5 (a) History of Education— Division A. For High School 
and Grammar School Teachers. 

Chapter I, Primitive Peoples; Education in Its Simplest 
Forms, (See outline in Pamphlet for local institute meetings also 
in text.) 

5 id) Reading in Public Schools— Division B. For Primary 
and rural School Teachers. 

Chapter I. The Importance and Kinds of Reading. 
What to Read. 
What not to read. 

Development through discriminating reading. 
Kinds of reading. 
Denotative and connotative. 
Silent and Oral. 
Some practical suggestions. 
Brandes on Reading. 
Why should we read? 
What should we read? 
How should we read? 

6 ia) High School Course of Study — Division A. (High 
School Teachers only.) General Statement, p. 4; Requirements 
for approved High School pp. 5, 6. 7; Note briely pp. 9, 10, 11, 12 
13. 14, 15. 16 and 17; Discussion of p. i8, also pp. 13, 16 in Elementary 
Course of Study. Discussion and study of p. 19. High School, 
Course. 

6 (b) Elementary Course of Study — Division B, (For all 
elementary teachers except those teaching in Rural Schools). 

1. Note and study inside of cover page; Note 'Errors and 
Omissions.'* Read pp. 3 and 4; noting particulary the first, and the 
two last paragraphs. Study pp. 5, 6 and work out program in 
accordance with schedule on p. 6. Study pp, 13, — 16. 

Division C. (For Rural School Teachers). 

1. Note and study inside Cover Page and "Errors and Omis- 
sions," Read pp. 5 and 4 noting carefully first and two last para- 
graphs. Study pp. 5. 6, om t 'Schedule for Graded Schools,'' 
Study pp. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, also pp. 13 to 16. 

7. Assign lessons for Tuesday. 

8. Adjournment. 



10 
TUESDAY*S PROGRAM. 

9:00 A. M. 

1. Opening exercises— 15 minutes. 

( (a) History of Education— High School and Grammar 
2- J Grades. 

' j (b) Reading in Public Schools— Primary and Rural 
V. Teacher*— 40 minutes. 

3. The Art of Questioning— for all, 40 minutes. 
RECESS- Five minutes 

4. I^esson in Writing, Drawing or Phonics— 40 minutes 
( (a) Round Tuble Topics— High School. 

5. < id) Nature Study in Life — For all teachers in elementary 

I grades, town and rural— 40 minutes. 

NOON. 
1:30 p. M. 



6. Essays in Application— For all— 40 minutes. 

[ ia) High School Course of Study— High Schools. 

7. < ib) Elementary Course of Study— Elementary Schools, 

(. 40 minutes. 

8. Our Public Schools— 40 minutes. 

9. Question Boxes— Elementary and High. 
10. Assignments. 

OUTLINES FOR TUESDAY. 

1. Opening Exercises. These exercises should illustrate 
opening exercises suitable for high, grammar, rural or primary 
schools and should be in accordance with suggestions in the 
courses of study. 

2 (a) History of Education — Chapter II— For teachers in 
High Schools and grammar grades, 5th, 6th and 'th in graded 
schools. 

Oriental Education. Education as Recapitulation. Text Mon- 
roe's Brief. Course in the History of Education. R-fetence: 
Text Book in the History of Education, by Paul Monroe. 

2 {b) Reading in the Public Schools — For teachers in rural 
schools and primary grades. 

Chapter II. History of Reading. 
Text Books. 

Reading during the Reformation. 
The work of Schulte and Basedow. 
Historical evolution of reading in England. 
Abacus. 
Hornbook 



11 



Chapter II. History of Reading— Continued, 

CatcM^^isra. 

New Ij^nigland- Primer. 

Webster ^oks. 

Early efforts at specialization. 

Growth of sejries of readers. 

Methods of tej^chingr reading. 

Evolution of pictures as a means of communication. 

Origin of Alphabet. 

Methods of instruction. 

Alphabetic. 

Phonic. 

Word. 

Sentence. 

Attempts at correction. 

Writing-reading method 

Analytic-synthetic method. 

Historical development of these methods in America. 

3. The Art of Questioning For all— Based on Fitch's The 
Art of Questioning. 

4. Lesson in Writing, Drawing, Phonics or Singing. 

It will be the aim of the Institute Board to present at least one 
of the above series of lessons. In case the subject should be 
Phonics then all of the teachers of 6th, 7th grades and of high 
school should be assigned one of the topics under "Round Table 
Topicis" for discussion. 

5 (a) Round Table Topics— HighSchool. CSeelistof Round 
Table Topics.) 

5 (d) Nature Study and Life— For teachers of Elementary 
grades. 

I. Preface — Introduction. 
II. The Point of View. 

1. Aims and purposes of a Nature Study Course. (See also 

State Course of Study p. 116.) 

2. Subjugation of Animals. 

3. Dominion over Animals. 

(a) First animals domesticated. 

(b) Elementary zoology. 
ic) Animals I know: 

1. Tame \ See Course of Study. 

2. Wild ) Elementary Schools. 



12 



4. Cultivation of Plants, 
(a) Soil Lore. 
id) Elementary Botapy. 
ic) Humanity and Mother Earth. 
id) "Fad" etc. 
ie) Effect of Nature study on Home and School. 

6. Essays in Application. 

(For all.) 

Purpose of these essays as set fo^th in Pi e face. 
"Is the world growing better?" 

I. The value of material improvement, 

1. Does the condition of growing better off mean growing 
better? In dollars? In knowledge? 

2. Why is meliorist a better word than optimist? 

II. The factors in growing better. 

1. Justice. 

a. The kind of views necessary to form a judgment, 
b- Improvement of laws. Study child labor law in 
Louisiana. 

c. Triumphs of the world's moral sense, 

d. Items to be set down on the other side — wars o£ 
conquest, etc. 

2. Increase of Kindness. 

a. Work in prisons. 

b. Private charity. 

c. Workingmen's insurance system in Germany. 

d. Increased precautions to avoid accidents, etc* 

e. International mercy. 

f. Efforts to rid world of war. 

g. The Red Crosss Society. 

3. Self-Restraint. 

a. Is self-restraint increasing? 

b. Dangers of theory of individual liberty. 

c. The foundation of hope that the world is growing 
better. 

III. The conclusion. 

How make the world better? 

7. (a) The High School Cours* of Study. (High School 

Teachers). Pages 19, 27. 
1. Discussion of Outline or Outlines of the Course pp. 19, 20; 

which may be of direct interest to the institute corps. 



13 



2. English: (a)-General Statement. (.^)— Literature, (c) — 
Method, id) — History of Literature, (e) — Collateral Read- 
ing, (/; — Memorizing Selections of Prose and Poetry. (^) — 
Formal Grammar, (k) — Composition and Rhetoric, (z) — 
Method. (/) — Vocabulary. (/^)— Literary Societies. (/)— Cor- 
relation of English Composition with other Subjects, im) — 
High School Library. 

7 (b) The Elementary Courseof Study. (All Teachers of 
Elementary Grades). Pp. 17, (— ) 23. 

1. Note and make corrections on p. 17. (See Errors and 
Omissions^. 

2. Reading and Literature; 

{a) General Directions — Time required for mastery of me- 
chanics of reading— Motive and foundation for reading work. 
The Language group, the importance of reading. 

Reading, a means of training the mind— stories. The two 
periods and the teacher's aim. The first three years. The 
thought of the printed page. 

The childs love for stories and its significance. Culture value 
of stories, poems, and nature study, "Learning to read is to 
get stories out of books." Interest and attention— Method — 
Correlation. 

The use of the story in readihg. 

3. The reading Hour. The use of the Library, in the Primary 
grades; (d) in the intermediate grades. 

Summary, 

First Year: Texts. Supplementary Readers- Suggestions as 
to the use of the books. The Wheeler Primer. The New 
Education Reader Book I. 

Aim in the Reading — Method of Procedure. 

Reading to the children— Phonics— Use of the Library— Sources 
of Material for Beginne'rs— Books for Teachers— Library 
Books. 

8. Our Public Schools— Dr. J. H. Dillard, Pres. Boardof Trus- 
tees for the Jeanes Fund. 

The following article appeared in the Times-Democrat of July 
24th, and is presented here for discussion. 



14 

THE RESULTS OF OUR SCHOOLING. 

New Orleans, July, 21 1909. 
To the Editor of The Times-Democrat: 

In the midst of our great educational activities, it is well that 
some one occasionally voices the widespread opinion that the re- 
sults of our schooling are by no means satisfactory, The follow- 
ing extract from an editorial in the New York Independent per 
haps a little overstates, but not much, the experience of those who 
have the oportunity of judging. 

"To tell the plain truth about it, there is something mysterious 
and disconcerting about the ratio of educational cost and fuss to 
sifted net intelligence ground out by the American educational 
machiae. At whatever point one observes this machine, it seems 
to be 'going some.' It loo-ks and buzzes like a dynamo. Spend a 
morning in any public school classroom, and you go away with 
the feeling that children, teachers, principals and superintendents 
are energetic, keen, clever and up to-date. Attend a convention of 
teachers, or even of 'educators,' and you experience all sorts of 
thrills, intelligence bubbles like champagne, ar.d 'convictions' 
walk about on their own legs. And yet, when you have occasion 
to sample the product of all this well-directed and whizzing ac- 
tivity, you are aghast. Inability to converse in accurate sentences ; 
inability to write felicitously; inability to keep the run of geo- 
grapical relations that are alluded to in the news columns of the 
paper; inability to add and to multiply ; ignorance of all historj', 
European and American, — these are the facts that you encounter." 

It seems to me that it is possible to point out three important 
changes which might be made in our educational system, and that 
these changes would in a few years make impossible such indict- 
ments as the above. 

First, we should have more freedom in teaching. There is alto- 
gether too much bossing and too much machinery. In the desire 
to maintian uniformity and to hold up poor teachers, we are in 
danger of killing the work of good teachers. 

Not that there should be a lack of supervision and criticism, but 
we ought to allow the individual teacher great freedom in all 
matters of detail. 

Second, we should ruthlessly cut down the curriculum. This 
has been talked about and wiitten about, but nothing has been 
done. The first superintendent who will boldly take the stand that, 
no matter what is omitted, the children shall be taught to read in- 
telligently, to write correctly, and to cipher accurately, will be one 
of the greatest public benefactors that the country has produced 
in many a day. 



15 



Third, from the very first year of schooling we must teach the 
children to deal with things as well as with books. This sug^ges- 
tion is not inconsistent with the second, because the character of 
the work is so entirely different. The great value of manual train- 
ing is that it sets children to thinking back of words and books to 
the actual things of life, and makes them see that such actual 
dealing with things is a part of education. Thi^ practical work 
puts a new light even on the book studies of the child, and this is 
why we hear the universal testimony that the introduction of 
manual work in schools helps the other studies- It is the treraen-. 
dous mistake of education not to lead and instruct the child in the 
way of thinking back of words and books to the actual things. 
There is a great lesson in the story of the boy who, when he 
studied about 'prose' in his rhetoric, was amazed to find that he had 
been talking and writing prose all his life. So it is with the story- 
of the other boy who thought that France was yellow and Germany 
red. I have myself to this day a sort of notion that Russia is a 
pale pink. Ey n in arithmetic children often deal with the subject 
as if it were a kind of hocus-pocus maneuvering with figures that 
have little to do with the things about them . 
Very respectfully, 

JAMES H. DILLARD 

9: Question Boxes— Notice should be given on Monday after- 
noon or Tuesday morning that on Tuesday afternoon at 
3:30, every teacher present will be expected to propose at 
least one question to be answered or one school problem to 
be solved. These questions should be written and placed in 
the proper boxes. 



16 
WEDNESDAY. 

9:00 A. M. 

1. Opening Exercises. — 15 minutes. 

2. The Art of Securing Attention — For all. 40 minutes. 
, f (a) Round Table Topics— High School. 

• \ id) Nature Study and lyife — All elementary teachers. 
4. Lesson in Writing, Drawing, or Phonics — 40 minutes. 

RECRSS— Five minutes. 

(a) History of Education — High School and intermediate 
grades of graded schools. 

(b) Reading in the Public Schools — Primary and Rural 
Schools. 

NOON. 

1:30 to 4:30 P. M. 

6. Singing— 5 minutes. 

7. f (a) Elementary Course of Study. 

1 id) High School Course of Study — 40 minutes. 

8. How to improve the Study Period— For all. 35 minutes. 

9. Essays in Application — For all. 40 minutes. 

10. Question Boxes { f^j g/fif„try'school, }^0 -'-'- 

11. Assignments. 

OUTLINES FOR WEDNESDAY. 

1. Opening Exercises. Continue to make the exercises 
models for use in the different schools. 

2. The Art of Securing Attention. Based on pamphlet by 
J. G. Fitch, published by A. Flanagan & Co., Chicago. 15c. May 
be had also from Geo. S. Whitworth, 138 East Boulevard, Baton 
Rouge. 

Definition of Attention. Attention a Result. Difficult for 
Children. Heavy Demands Upon Children, First see the Diffi* 
culties. Attention must be got. Claiming Attention vs. Real 
Interest. 

Preparation of Teacher — Accurately — Abundantly. Must know 
more than will teach. Teachers must gather means of interest. 
Teaching and the needs of the learner. An example. 

Keeping up the Attention. Change of Posture. Taking Places. 
Reading in Concert. Other Methods. Elliptical Questioning. 
A quick eye and ear, cultivate. Watchfulness. See whole class. 
Promptitude and Readiness. 



17 



3. (a) Round Table Topics— High School. 

DiFcuss one or two of the topics selected for this period. This 
should not be haphazard work. Definite study questions should 
be assigned in connection with the topics selected for discussion. 
(See list of topics.) 

3. {b) Nature Study and Life— For all elementary teachers. 
1. VALUES OF NATURE STUDY. 

1. Economic. 

a. Value of beneficient animals and plants. 

b. Menace of injurious insects and plants. 

c. Financial motive. 

d. Careful selection of material for study. 

2. Aesthetic. 

a. The function of the beautiful in life. 

b. Development of the active and creative side of 

children. 

c. The message of beauty 

3. Educational. 

a. Educational value of nature study. 

b. "Book learning" vs. nature — Activity of child vs. 

didactics of teacher. 

c Nature study a prominent factor of the school cur- 
riculum—Why? 

d. Elementary education with the really elementary 

\ education left out, 

e. The teacher and the tone of the school. 

f. The active child and its environment. 

g. Huxley on science in the school — See Science and 

Education, Huxley, p. 128. 

4. Ethical and Social. 

a Ethical values. 

b Negative in education giving way to positive. 

c. Observance of laws depend upon knowledge of 

facts upon which laws are based. 

5. Religious. 

a Love of nature and its Author, 
b Creative effort for good. 

4. Lesson in Writing, Drawing, Singing or Phonics. 

Same as before. 



18 



5. (a) History of Education. (High school and iuter- 
niediate grades of graded schools) — Chapter III. 

The Greeks. The Libral Education. 

The significance of Greek Education—Characteristics — Concept 
of Personality — Education and Life, then and now— Limita- 
tions in realizations. 

Periods of Greek Education: 1, Homeric Period, Ideals of 
Homeric education; 2, Historic Period. vSpartan, Athenian, 
aims and methods; 3, The New Greek Education: Transi- 
tional period. Character of period, resulting change in edu- 
cation in content and in method, the results of the new edu- 
cation; 4, Cosmopolitan period of Greek Education, general 
characteristics, 

Summary. 

5. id) Reading in Public Schools. (For Primary and Rural 
vSchool Teachers). 

CHAPTER III. The Primary Period. 
Characteristics of the period. 
Imagination. Its relation to literature. 
Imitation. 

Basis of originality. 
Basis of enriching life. 

Value in giving tone and inflection to the voice. 
Value in setting up ideals of reading. 
Teacher's reading as a model 
Imitation implies good models. 

6. Singing. Should there be a teacher of singing and drawing 
in the parish she should be given charge of the work in 
singing. 

(a) Elementary Course of Study. — Reading andLiterature 
vSecond Year— Text— Supplementary Readers — Aim — Method- 
Phonics — Reading to the children — Use of the Library — List 
of Library books — Note and discuss suggestions for correla- 
tion under "Sources of Material for Second Year." Take up 
Language work of same year. 
Third Year— Text- Aim— Method— Phonics — Reading to chil- 
dren — Use of Library— Material— Library Books— Study Lan- 
guage, Writing and Spelling for same year. 

7. (b) High School Course of Study, pp. 27. 36. 

1. First Year. Literature— Composition and Rhetoric — Gram- 
mar. 

2. Second Year. Third Year. Fourth Year. 

Note carefully the plan of the work and note particularly the 
"Reference Books." Have a discussion of the course and 
the different points developed as you proceed. 



1^ 



8. SUGGESTION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT 

OF THE STUDY PERIOD. 

F. M. McMupry, Professor of Elementary Education. 

Teachers Collage, Columbia University. 

* (In Two Lessons.) 

Last spring I took charge of a fifth-year class of twenty children 
in history and geography, .with the object of investigating and, if 
possible, improving )heir method of study. After spending sixty 
minutes with them on various topics. I assigned one day a para- 
graph .of map questions which they were to dispose of in class 
without help. I was to do nothing more than to call upon some 
one now and then to "go on,'' or to "do what ought to be done 
next." 

A girl read the first question: "Here is a relief map of the con- 
tinent on which we live. What great highland do you find in the 
west? In the east?" Then she stood, staring at the book. She 
might have inquired the meaning of "relief," if it was a new word, 
or have turned to the relief map opposite— which was small; or to 
the better map of two pages further over; or, to the wall map hang" 
ing, rolled up, in front of the class. But, although she was not 
embarrassed, she did no':hing. She was waiting to be told just 
what to do, and she waited until aid arrived from the teacher. 

In response to the next question: "In what direction does 
each (highland) extend?" The two great highlands, the Rockies 
and the Appalachians, were described as parallel, and the pupil 
was passsing to the next question without objections from any 
source. Again I had to interfere. 

"which is the broader and higher ?" was the third question. 
A boy stepped to the wall map and pointed out the Rockies. But, 
as no one asked why they were supposed to be the broader and 
higher, I suggested that question myself. Some one gave the 
correct answer for considering them the broader. But by that 
time the entire class had forgotten that there was a second part to 
the question, and were passing on. I then reminded them of the 
omitted part. 

The fourth question called for the location of the lowest land 
between these two highlands. Four or fiye stepped to the board 
in succession, showing wide disagreement. Yet no one asked any 
one "why?" or proposed any way of settling the dispute, or even 
evinced any responsibility for finding one. They would have taken 
the next question had I not objected. 

"Trace the Mississippi River," came next. Only about half of 
it was pointed out— i.e., from Cairo southward. No one entered 
complaint, and the next question was read before I requested more 
accurate work. 



20 



The girl who read the next direction, 'Name some of the 
largest tributaries,'' stood silent. The word tributaries was prob- 
ably new, but she apparently lacked the force to request help. 
As nearly as I could judge, she was waiting for me to ask her if 
she didn't need to ask some one for the definition. So I complied 
and the definition was given. 

Then all failed to answer the original question for a time, 
apparently because they could not break it into its two parts — first 
tracing the principal tributaries on the map then finding the names 
attached to them, 

These responses are representative of my experience with 
these ten to twelve-year old children, during a period of five 
weeks, although, of course, they improved as time passed. In 
spite of the fact that they were not frightened and plainly under- 
stood that they were to go anywhere in the room and do or say 
anything that was necessary, frequently some one stood ten to 
fifteen feet from the wall map, straining his eyes to read it, until 
invited to step forward. And even after answering the single 
question that was assigned to each during a portion of the time, 
they often remained standing at their seats or holding a pointer 
before the map until directed to sit. They seemed to be wanting 
in energy to move more freely, to determine when answers were 
correct and complete, and even to lay aside the pointer and sit 
down without assistance. 

Yet they were normal children, were up to grade, and had even 
enjoyed rare school advantages. Nine out of twenty had attended 
this school— the Practice Department of Teachers' College — from 
the beginning, and every one of the five teachers from whom they 
had received instruction had been a graduate of the a state normal 
school or of a college, or both, and had been especially trained for 
teaching. How. then, can their dismal failure to master such a 
simple lesson as map questions be explained? 

The explanation, I think, is found in the peculiar difficulties 
of studying alone; for I was almost requiring them to get their 
lessons without the aid of a teacher. L,et us consider these 
difficulties. 

When a pupil studies a lesson ^A/ith a teacher it is a question of 
how much the two persons can accomplish together, the one 
being immature and only under favorable circumstances fully 
willing to receive and be guided, while the other is much better 
informed in general, more or less v rsei in the principles of 
presentation and more or less skilled in their application. 

In the mastery of text under such ciicumstances, the teacher 
asks questions, pushes the pupil against difficulties, points out 
crucial thoughts, calls a halt here and there for reviews and drill, 



21 



furnishes motive by praising or reprimanding or pummeling, as 
the case requires, and not seldom grows red in the face from 
exertion. 

Likewise, in the case of developing instruction, the teacher 
chooses the •general topic, breaks it into parts, and then con- 
centrates her ability on her questions, endeavoring to have them 
short, simple, and attractive enough to make sure bait- She 
exerts herself to the utmost to conceive questions of the 
size and qualitty to fit the pupil, and if she is very 
skillful, her prediges^ed morsels of knowledge may be 
swallowed and digested without pain or conscious effort. In both 
cases, the teacher is the acknowledged leader. It is she who takes 
the initiative in determining how the lesson shall be attacked, who 
exercises resourcefulness in meeting unexpected obstacles, who 
assumes responsibility for deciding w^hat the crucial questions are 
and when the answers are right and complete, and who supplies 
the energy that makes things go. If she is accounted a good 
teacher she is fully as active as her pupils and probably grows 
tired first; she is the one who does the work. 

Now, eliminate the teacher and let the pupil attempt to get his 
lesson alone. It is no longer a question of how much two persons 
can accomplish together, but how much the weaker of the two can 
and will do so. 

The end-point is the same, however, as before: the assimila- 
tion of th© topic by the pupil. The means, then, must be 
• ubslantially the same: a careful division of the subject into parts, 
and the putting and answering of questions touching the meaning, 
relative values, organization and bearing on life. Therefore, what 
the two accomplished before — with the more capable one working 
the harder and doing the greater part— must now be performed by 
the weak'-r one alone. He must now duplicate the teacher's task 
by teaching himself. How different the two situations! On the 
one hand, a student, with a teacher who acts as motive power and 
directing intelligence; on the other hand, a student without a 
teacher and therefore forced to rely on himself. 

Here is the explanation of the failure of the class mentioned, 
in spite of the fact that they were fairly endowed and responsive 
children, and this was their fifth year of super. or instruction. For 
nearly five years they had been establishing the habit of waiting to 
be told whan to step to the board, when to lay aside the pointer, 
what questions to consider, when an answer was wrong, when 
something had been overlooked or forgotten, and when they were 
through with a task. They were strong as followers, as would 
quickly have been proved if I had been willing to play the 



22 



customary part of leader. But they were untrained for such 
leadership of themselves as is necessary in study; they had not 
learned to take the initiative, carry responsibility, exercise re_ 
sourcef ullness and find inotive for effort, because of having someone 
else perform these duties for them. Constant help from teacher, 
such as is customary— undermines self-reliance and unfits for inde- 
pendent study, although it may and often does result in a good 
quality of knowledge. 

This class, I think, is typical of others The first change, 
therefore for the improvement of study periods must be efftr^cted 
within the recitation itself. That period must accustom children 
to taking the initiative in the mastery of thought. Outside of 
school, as in games and conversations, they do this constantly and 
always have; it is in the school, the special insiitution for educa- 
tion, where it is wanting. \\ hen instructing a fourth-year class in 
literature one day I suddenly inquired: "Do you ever stop to talk 
over what you read?" "No," replied several. "Yes," said a fe»' , 
"sometimes we do." "All right,'' said I to the latter. "Let us 
stop here and talk a few minutes. "Kddie, what have you to say?'' 
"Oh, we don't talk; the teacher does the talking," replied Eddie, 
with a most nonchalant air. How typical of the school! And how 
lamentable. ♦ 

To secure this inititative from ch'ldren, radical reform in the con- 
duct of recitations willbenecessarv in two respects. First, there must 
be a willingness, and also an ability, on the part cf teachers to 
keep still more of the time. The teacher is too prominent in the 
class. And, strange to say, in development work (Which seems to 
be regarded as our highest type of instruction) she is most 
prominent. One great object of a good teacher should be to show 
children how to get along without her; and the longer she keeps a 
class, the less talking and other work she should need to do, 
because, under her guidance they have learned to do it themselves^ 
How, otherwise, can they be preparing to study alone? Second, 
initiative on the part of pupils in the mastery of lessons must take 
the place of knowledge of subject matter as the primary object of 
many recitations. Jt is well enough to recite to a teacher a por- 
tion of the time, in order to prove one's way of getting the facts; 
it merely tests results. And it is partly because so much time has 
been occupied in reciting that so little attention has been given 
to children's methods of study. Many recitations — possibly most 
of them in the elementary schools— should be spent by the children 
in mastering lessons in the teacher's presence, with the aid of her 
suggestions— not primarily for increase in knowledge, but for 
increase in intelligence and independence in study. This 



23 



change of aim might make it advisable to call the periods iu gen- 
eral study periods, rather than recitation periods; there is much 
that is reprehensible in the latter name- Children would probably 
know as much in the end, and they would also have better 
methods of working. 

Now, what are the facts albout method of study that should be 
taught, whose mastery might demand so much time? Teachers 
may be willing to practice silence in class, and to allow initiative 
on the part of pupils to be their primary aim ; but until children 
are very clear in regards to the directions in which initiative is to 
be exercised by them, they are likely themselves to be provokingly 
silent. This problem as to the principal factors in proper study is 
one of the greatest ihat now confronts the teacher 

Both children and college students generally recognize two 
main factors in study, memorizing and thinking. And which of 
of these should come first, is the first important question to be 
met. Custom allows memory work to proceed. "Fix the facts or 
thoughts in memory, then reflection upon them can follow at 
leisure," is the common thought. But there are always more duties 
in life than time allows us to perform, so that leisure is wanting, 
and reflection is habitually postponed until it is omitted. In con- 
sequence, to the great majority of persons studying signifles 
mainly the stultifying work of memorizing. Suppose, now, this 
order were inverted, and young people were taught to undertake 
whatever thinkinr was expected of them the first thing. They 
would then at least make sure of the more interesting part. But, 
more than that, thinking thoughts through, in the various ways 
required in good study, is the very best method of memorizing 
them, and psychologists recommend this method even in the case 
of verbatim, memoriter work. Conscious efforts to memorize 
would be largely or wholly unnecessary because the memorizing 
would become a by-product of thinking instead of a substitute for 
it. Here is the first great fact to be taught to young people about 
how to study. And if it were applied, there would need to be less 
of dull drill in school; one reason for so much of it now is that 
there is so little thinking. 

But, what kinds of thinking are to be expected, is the next 
great question. The chief factors in reflection must be carefully 
taught. Let us suggest a few: 

First: In the reproduction of stories by six-yea -old children, 
teachers affect to make the response easy by mentioning definite 
points to tell about- Children in the second and third years of 
school easily detect the substance of scoldings received, of con- 
versations, and of paragraphs in their readers, and they determine 



24 



the substance of paragraphs for short compositions. In develop- 
ment work throughout the pi imary they are reasonably successful 
in comprehending the question under consideration and in holding 
to the point as thediscussion advances. Here are thebeginnings of 
the ability to group facts into points, or to think by points. This 
is one of the first requisites for' organization of knowledge, 
but the extent to which it is lacking in adults is suggested by the 
tendency of teachers to offer scattered or isolated facts in the 
studies, and to wonder from the point in their conferences. This 
ability, then, needs to be highly valued and developed. Lessons 
should often be assigned, or at least recited, by points rather than 
by pages. Marginal headings sh.-)uld be prepared by children, and 
they should learn to put their fingers on the spots in the text where 
the treatment of a certain point begins and ends, thus detei- 
mining the place where the thought turns, and where stops might 
be suitable for reflection. Also they should verify and improve 
the paragraphing of text, should assume responsibility for detect- 
ing the beginning of wanderings of thought in discussion or text: 
should get practice in taking notes by points when the teacher 
reads or talks to them, and should learn to go group their ideas 
that they could easily number the points that they themselves 
made in reading or in writing. 

Second: Children somewhat easily detect the main points in 
a story; they often recognize trivial facts as such in develop- 
ment work; they are keen critics of the value of words in com- 
parison with deeds in the conduct of their teachers and parents, 
and they are often distirguished for their good sense in their 
judgment of relative values, just as adults are. Here are the 
beginnings of a second mental ability of vital worth; and it is all 
the more important that it be developed since the facts in the 
three R's and the spelling are so nearly on a dead level, and the 
prevailing conception of thoroughness so magnifies trifles, that 
the appreciation of relative worth is in peculiar danger of atrophy 
in the primary school, 

Whole recitation periods might well be spent primarily in the 
cultivation of this ability. To that end children might be en- 
couraged to mark their texts, indicating the relative value of 
different passages by their system of markings. Reciting usually 
with their books open, in history, or geography, as in literature, 
they should often be asked to begin with the largest thought in the 
entire lesson, no matter where it might be found; and if disagree- 
ments are noted, the period might be spent in the attempts of 
various pupils to defend their estimates. They should practice 
putting large questions, as well as answering them, and should 



25 



develop skill in selecting the details necessary to the support of a 
large thought, thereby learning to slight insignificant facts. If 
they are not allowed to mark up their books, how are they to 
review them? And if they do not learn to neglect much of what is 
in a text, how are they to learn that wise selection of facts that will 
allow them to make profitable use of reference books, newspapers 
and magazines? 

Third: Children have such vivid imagination that they are 
capable of beroming frightened by their own pictures. When they 
become interested in a story, it is difficult, even in the kinder- 
garten, to check their flow of suggested ideas; conversation 
among them is as natural as among adults: developing instruc- 
tion is based on the assumption that their experiences are rich 
enough to allow contributions of thought continually; and fables, 
calling for interpretation, are especially written for them. Here, 
then, are the beginnings of a third ability of great importance— 
namely, the power to supplement an author's thought. The best 
of authors fail to put most of their ideas into print. Or, as 
Ruskin declares, all litterature— like the story of the Prodigal 
Son — appears practically in the form of parables requiring much 
supplementing to be i>roperly pictured and interpreted. The 
words in a minister's text in comparison with those in his sermon 
are perhaps as one to one hundred. The statements in any text 
should bear 'a similar ratio to the thoughts that they suggest in 
the reader's mind. Accordingly, much time should be occupied 
by children in school visualizing in greater detail the scenes in 
geography, history, and other studies; the bearings of facts upon 
human life should often be traced with more care; and compari- 
sons of many kinds should be instituted. To this end, fact ques- 
tions, testing mainly memory, are out of place; questions in- 
v'olving reflection should be common, if we desire young people to 
become leflective. Avery common remark from the teacher in 
treatment of text might well be: Do we need to stop here to talk 
over any matter? The children should even learn to call a halt 
themselves, at fitting places, and to offer the supplemental thought 
without even a suggestion from the teacher. Thus they might be 
taught how to read books. 

Is it one's duty, in reading an author, to try to agree with him; 
or may he disagree and thus set himself up as a judge? Even 
six-year old children are allowed to praise fairy tales that* they 
like; have they the right of condemnation also? I find many 
college students uncertain about this whole question 

Should a scholar aim at firmly fixed opinions? Or is it his duty 
to remain somewhat uncertain, and therefore flexible, in his 



26 



views? How is a student to know w'en he properly knows a 
thing? Or is he expected to feel very uncertain until the examina- 
tion returns are in? In mastering a lesson or reading a book 
should one study primarily for the sake of understanding what is 
presented? Or primarily to meet the teacher's probable require- 
ments? Or primarily for personal profit? These are al; questions 
of vital importance in study for all ages of students. And until 
they have been properly answered, and young people have been 
properly instructed in regard to them, home study will continue to 
be a bugbear, and complaints of teachers about pupils not knowing 
how to study will continue to be common. 'We have been on the 
right track in the past, when we have emphasized the need of 
careful directions in the assignment of lessons, so that children 
would know how to go to work. But we were ignorant of the 
magnitude of the problem. How to study is very different from 
how to teach, and it is a broader question. And we might as well 
expect to train persons to teach merely by giving them occasional 
suggestions about teaching, as to train them to study by giving 
occasional suggestions about method of study. Therefore, my 
main suggestion for improvement in study periods is that we be- 
gin to take the problem seriously and go to work upon it- It in- * 
volves more knowledge about how adults should study than is now 
easily attainable; the question of the extent to which children can 
be expected to study; a conception of the class period as a meet- 
ing time for the exchange and correction of ideas rather than for 
reciting to a teacher; and the cultivation of the initiative on the 
part of children to an extent that is now far Irom common. 






27 

9. Essays In Application. 

Ruling Classes in a Democracy. 

For all — 40 minutes 

I. Introduction. 

1. Difference between a democracy and an empire, an 

aristocracy. 

2. Necessity for ruling class— rudiments in lower 

ani-uals. 

3. Obstacle to securing authority. 

4. The problem of correlating individual rights with 

social duties. 

II. Methods of selecting ruling class. 

1. Autocratic— False assumption that right rests on 

might. 

2. Automatic— The wrong family may be chosen to 

begin with, then the so-called law of heredity 
produces curious results. 

3. Democratic— This interests the choice to the col- 

lective reason and justice of the people. What is 
the true meaning of the consent of the governed? 

III. Things necessary to popular participation in government. 

1. Untrammeled opportunity for suffrage, not univer- 

sal, but iruiy representative. 

2. Limitation of term of office. Why? 

3. Restrictions upon the functions of ruling classses— 

the need of a constitution. 

IV. Eefinition of democracy. 

Answer to charges brought against the practical work- 
ing out of democracy. 

V. Danirers of democratic government. 

1. The rise of the demagogue. 

2. The dominance of wealth. 

3. The rule of the boss. 

VI. The safeguard, education. 

1. Restriction of suffrage, fo be removed by education. 

2. Expenditure for education. 

3. Extent of public education. 

4. The kind education. 

10. Question boxes. Discuss the questions submitted in two 
divisions — high and elementary schools. 



28 
THURSDAY. 

9:00 A. M. to 12. M. 

1. Opening exercises — 15 minutes. 

2. How to improve the study period— For all. 40 minutes. 
' (a) History of education— High-school and intermediate 

grades. 
id) Reading in the public schools — Primary and rural 
schools. 40 minutes. 

4- I^esson in Writing, Drawing or Phonics — 40 minutes. 

RECESS— Five Minutes. 

c i (a) Round Table Discussion— High school. 

\ {d) Nature study and lyife — Elementary school. 40min. 

1:30 to 4:10 
NOON. 

6. Singing — 5 minutes. 

7. Essays in Application— For all. ?5 minutes. 
^ f ia) Elementary course of study. 

■ \{d) High school course ol study — 40 minutes. 
9. The art of securing attention— For all. 40 minutes. 

10. Question boxes. { [^j f^^^entr^ school. 

OUTLINES FOR THURSDAY. 

. 1. Opening Exercises. Same as in preceding lessons. 

2, How to improve the study period— For all. (See No. 8 

of Wednesday's Outlines.) 

3. (a) History of Education. 

The Romans: Education as training for practical 
life. 
General Characteristic — The practical education. The home. 
Biography and imitation as a centre. Means and methods. 

Periods of Roman Education--(l) Early Roman education. 
(2) Period of introduction of Greek schools. (3) Imperial Pe- 
riod. (4) Fourth Period: Decline of Roman education. Sum- 
mary. 

3. ib) Reading in the Public School. 

CHAPTER IV. Primary reading. 

Many readers are mere scrap books. 
The contents of a good reader. 
The purpose of primary reading. 
Essential of first lessons in reading. 



29 

CHAPTER V. A typical first lesson. 
The class should read from the first. 
The description ol the lesson. 

4. Lesson in writing, singing, drawing or phonics. 

Same as before. 

5. (a) Round Table. Discuss some live [topics selected 

from the Round Table Topics, or a topic suggested by a 
member of the class. 

5. (b) Nature Study and Life. 

I. Children, Animals and Pets. 

1. a. Pets, child's natural introduction to animal life, 
b. Play as a factor in education. 

c Use of pets in nature study. 

2. The dogf. 

a. First domesticated animal. 

b. Proper care of dogs. 

c. Lriterature on dogs. 

3. The horse. 

a. When domesticated. 

b. Children and the horse. Cruelty to animals. Black 

Beauty CShould be read by every school child. 
Suitable for fourth grade J 

c. The Story. — Bucephalus. 

4. The cat. 

a. Shaler on the value of cats. 

b. Domestication. 

c. Cats as enemies of birds. 

d. Care of other pets. 

7. Essays in Aoplication 

I. Publicomania. 

1. The disease as to age. 

a. The new symptom. 

b. Its weakness. 

c. Its remedy. 

II. "The Heritage of American Ideals." 

1. Stories in American Social Life. 

a. Puritan — its contribution. 

b. Dutch— its contribution. 

c. Cavalier — its contribution. 



30 



2. American Ideals. 

a. American manhood — characteristics. 

b. American government — characteristics. 

c. American glory and influence— how foreseen. 

3. Will American Ideals Endure? Fears and hopes 
ior the future. 

III. "The Powers That Be." 

1.. The powers that be, ordained of God, but ordained 
to fit the people, 

a. In monarchy, empire or oligrarchy, some com- 
plications to obscure the law. Examples. 

b. In a republic rulers are ^osen for the people 
by the people Examples. 

(I) The three crises of our Republic— of justice, 
of equality, or fraternity, the last yet to be 
wrought out. 

2. Causes which control the development of national 
character, 
a. The home — Its perils, its opportunities. 
, b. The State— Grave cause for anxiety— the Spoils 

system. 

c. The church— Its opportunity, its work in tlie 

past, its distinctive mission. 

8. (a) Elementary Course ef Study. 

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Years in Reading and 
Iviterature. Language, Writing and Spelling. Lay stress on the 
important points, and particularly on con el.ition. 

8. {b) High School Course of Study.— pp. 33, 48. 

Latin, Greek. French, German, Spanish. 

9. The Art of Securing Attention. 

1. Brief Summary of yesterday's lesson Why illustration 
holds attention. Means of illustration. Examples. Effects of 
Illustrations. Reasons. Indirect Teaching vs. Direct Teaching. 
Example. Illustration a Powerful Means. How Teachers may 
Improve in this Power. Further Suggestions. Avoid Routine. 
Coherence and Unity: Examples. Let what is Learned be e£/f// 
Learned. A Rule- Attention, th%Measureof the Teachers Influence 
Attention may be Stengthened. Failure to get Attention. Ihe 
Great Rule for the Te.icher. 

20. Question Boxes. 

Discuss topics submitted in two divisions as before. 



31 
FRIDAY. 

8;00 tol2 00 M. 

1. Opening exercises — 15 minutes. *" 

2. Lesson in writing, singing, drawing or phonics 
, f (a) Round Table Topics— High schools. 

' \ (b) Nature Study and Life — Klementary schools. 
4. Essays in application — For all. 
RKCESS— Fifteen minutesi 

c ^(a) Elementary course of study. 
I (b) High school course of study. 
, / (a) History of education. 

\(b) Reading in the public schools. 
7. Adjournment. 

OUTLINES FOR FRIDAY. 

1. Opening Exe rcises— See suggestions for previous days- 

2. Lesson in writing, singing, drawing or phonics— See 

previous days. 

3. (a) Round Tabic Discussion.— Same as before. 
3. (b) Nature Study and Life. 

Plan of insect study. 
I Methods. 

a. Where to begin. 

b. Aim in the elementary course. 

c. Damage to man by insects. 

d. Value of insects— cross-pollination— How to determine 

value of insects. 

e. Poisocs and sprays. 

f. The life history of insects: Egg, larva, pupa, adult 

insedt. Value of knowing life history— insects and 
birds. 
II. Apparatus and method. 

a. The insect net. 

b. Preservation of insects- the cyanide bottle. 

c. Mounting insects. 

1. Pinning on 1 rays. 

2. Block of Plaster of Paris. 

3. Between two plates of glass. 

4. Spreading. 

a. The butterfly or moth. 

b. Beetles, bugs, grasshoppers and crickets, ants, 
flies and spiders. 

c. Caterpillars and grubs and laivae, mosquito 
wrigglers. 

d. Very small insects. 

JNOl E — lite above i.honld be ilhisii aied in class. 



32 



4-. Essays in Application. 

I. The Flood of Books. 

1. The Multiplicity of Books. 

a. Books an expression of their age— the fittest survive. 

b. The problem— how to use the writting gift to promote 
the reading habit, 

2. Motives Influencing Writers, Superficial, Sincere, 

a. Who are the sincere writers? 

b. Conditions favorable for production of real literature. 

II. Books, Literature and the People. 

1. The People. 

a. Definition — distinction between people and public. 

2. The relation Between Literature and the People^ 

a. Literature for the people. 

b. Present conditions— better than ever before — freedom, 
open libraries, etc. 

III. Dangers. 

a. Books dealt in after the manner of dry goods. 

b. The substitution of popularity for merit. 

c. That the art of literature be lost in the business of book 
making. 

IV. Distinction between Books and Literature. 

a. The qualities of the best literature— the deepest signi- 
ficance, etc. 

b. Elements entering into good work in literature; an 
original impulse, a first hand study of the subject and the 

material, etc. 

5. (a) Elementary course of study. 

General review and discussion of the language group— reading 
and literature, language, writing and sp ailing. 

5. (b) High school course.— pp 49-53. 

Mathematics: arithmetic, algebra, plain geometry, solid 
geometry or trigonometry. 

Reference books. General Review of Course as far as studied. 

6. (a) History of Education. 

The Middle Ages: Education as Discipline. Significance oj 
Mediaeval Education, 

Karly Christian education. The new educational ideal. Atti- 
tude of early Christians towards pagan learning: (a) Greek 
Christian fathers, (b) Latin church fathers. 



33 



Early Christian schools: (a) Christian life a schooling. 
(b) Catechumenal schools, (c) Catechetical schools, (d) Epis- 
copal and cathedral schools. 

II. Monastic education: Education as a moral discipline. 

1. Scope and importance of monastic education. Origin. 
Monastic rules. 

2 Ideals of monastic education: (a) Asceticism an ideal 
discipline, (b) Social significance of these ideals. 

3. Monasticism and literary education. 

1 — Study in the monasteries. 2— Schools in the monas- 
teries. 3— Copying of manuscript and the preserva- 
tion of learning. 4— Monasteries as depositories of 
literature and learning, 5— The monks as literary 
producers. 6— The literary inheritance of monas- 
ticism. The seven liberal arts. Contents of the 
seven liberal arts. 7— Educational writers of the 
early middle ages. Martianus, Capella, Boethius, 
Cassiodorus, Isidore. 

III. The Carolingian revival of learning. 

1. The work of Charles the Great— Alcuin, Ra- 
banus Maurus, Joannes Scotus Erigina. 

IV. Scholasticism: Education as an intellectual discipline. 

Nature of scholasticism. Purpose of scholastic 
thought. Content of scholaticism. Forms of schol- 
astic knowledge, method, develDpraent of scholasti- 
cism. The great schoolmen. Merits and demerits 
of scholasticism. 

V. The Universities: Origin. Founding, Structure and 

organization. Privileges, The nations and the Uni- 
versities. The faculties. Governingbody and other 
officials. Degrees. Method and content of Univer- 
sity studies. Influence of early Universities. 

VI. Chivalric education: Education as social discipline. 

Nature and origin of chivalry. Ideals. Educational 
system. 

VII. Close of 'the Middle Ages: The renaissance of the 

13th century. The friars of the mendicant orders. 
Influence of Saracen learning, New types of schools. 



34 



SUMMARY. 

6. (b) Reading in the Public School. 

CHAPTER VI. Oral Reading. 

Relation to silent reading. 
Condition of oral reading. 
Time in oral reading. 
Suggestions for aiding oral expression. 
Training in interpretation. 
A type lesson. 

CHAPTER VII. Silent reading. 

Purpose of silent reading. 

Psychology of silent reading. 

Economy of silent reading. 

When to begin. 

A type lesson. 

Other games suitable for this kind of reading. 



^k^ 

'^W 



35 



ROUND TABLE TOPICS. 

1. Parents meetings. 

2. Parish Supervision. 

3. The Teacher's personality. 

4. The art of questioning:. 

5. Is sarcasm ever justifiable? 

6. When is a school well governed ? 

7. Appropriate opening exercises. 

8. What is good discipline? 

9. Our present method of text-book adoption. 

10. Do we attempt to teach too many branches ? 

11. The use of stories; their educational value. 

12. Elimination of teachers not good models morally. 

13. Do we give enough time to mental arithmetic? 

14. What can be done to wake up careless parents? 

15. How soon should specializing begin in education? 

16. How would you overcome the habit of copying? 

17. How deal with tardiness and truancy? 

18. How often should promotions be made? 

19. What are the bad effects of imperfect classification? 

20. Should pupils be detained during recess? 

21. What supeivision should the teacher exercise over the play- 

ground? 

22. How can older boys be employed as assistants in maintain- 

ing discipline ? 

23. Of what use are Current Events? 

24. Do we teach spelling as effectually as we once did? 

25. What should be the teacher's attitude towards the movement 

for prohibition ? 

26. Should the Bible be read in school ? 

27. The new law providing for a supplementary library fund. 

28. Can history be taught successfully in the lower grades? If so, 

in what form ? 

29. \^hat provision can be made for the bright pupils who are 

constantly getting ahead of their classes? 
30.^ Which should have the greater amount of time in school, in- 
struction or drill? 

31. The teacher's daily preparationlfor her work. 

32. Should the School Board be given power to raise revenue for 

the support of schools independent of the policy jury. 

33. Why should not all the schools of a district open on the same 

day? 

34. Should pupils be allowed to assist each other in the prepara- 

tion of their lessons? 

35. Should teachers be required to study the school law? 



36 



36. What aie some of the qualities of a good answer to an ex- 

amination question? 

37. What should the teacher do when her pupils seriously neglect 

their work on account of revivals ? 

38. Can the play of the school be so directed as to have an educa- 

tional influence? 

39. How can proper exercise and amusementbe provided at play 

periods on stormydays? 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. 

A GENERAL VIEW OFTHE TEACHER'S WORK-ln Three 
Lessons. 

Movi'vg Classes— Based of Chapt. I. Bender's The 
Teachers at Work. 

1. How should a teacher move her classes for the recitation ? 

2. Discuss the plan followed by g"ood teachers of permitting" 
children to rui and skip to the board aud to classes. ♦ 

[This plan is followed by some of the best grade teachers 
in the Chicago schools.] 

3. Is this plan advisable in a rural or ungraded school? 
Why? 

Care of the Room. 

1. State briefly in what condition the superintendent has a 
right to expect your room to be with reference: 

a. To the floor, desks, blackboard ? How should these be left 
at the close of school? 

b. Ventilation. 

c. Sanitary conditions. 

d. Decoration. 

e. Window shades and walls. 

Planning and Assigning LessonsI 

1. Discuss the principles underlying the planning of lesson 

by the teacher. 

2. Under what conditions would you deviate from your plan, 

and why? 

3. Discuss, assigning lessons as to: 

(a) Careful preparation. 

(b) Being clear and definite. 

ic) Time required. What about the teacher who "has 
not the time" to make a good assignment? 



37 



(d) Why should the aim, most of the steps of preparation, 

and the pupils' study of the part under preparation, 
appear at the time of assignment? 

(e) The teacher's knowledge of the author's plan. 

(f) What are "units"? Why important? 

Cg) Pictures and other suggestions for illustrating the state- 
ments of the book. 
(h) References. 
(i) Difficulties. 

Questioning. 

1. Why should questions be carefully planned? 

2. W^hat is the threefold purpose of a question? 

3. In what way do the questions reveal the teacher's knowl- 

edge and preparation on the subject matte) ? 

4. Discuss the characteristics of good questions. 

5. Why is there an unconscious tendency to question bright 

pupils. 

Illustrations. 

1. Discuss illustrations as to: 

(a) Matter, 

(b) Form. 
(c; Use. 

Management. 

1. Seating the class. Inattention. 

2. When should a question be repeated? 

3. Use of tact and judgment. 

4. Be quick in seeing what to do next. 

5 Discuss teaching pupils how to study. 

6. Repeating answers of pupils. 

7. How do you treat oral and written mistakes of pupils? 

8. Discuss means of obtaining vigorous thinking on the part 

of all the class all the time. 

9. Discuss importance of detecting difference between dull- 

ness, laziness, and ignorance; innocent questions on the 
part of pupils; brilliancy and impertinence. What quali- 
ties are necessary in the teacher to detect these dif- 
ferences? 

10. Why is the teacher responsible for the attention of the 

class? How can a teacher tell at every moment whether 
she has the attention of each member? 

11. Discuss the method of obtaining attention in different 

recitations. 

12. Discuss the teacher who talks too much (lecturesj), and 

give your estimate of this sort of a recitation, 



38 



13. Discuss the noisy teacher. 

14. Discuss some of the sources of waste of time in the school- 

room. 
Discipline. 

1. The necessity for, and methods of, obtaining: good order. 

2. Do you pay any attention to the manner in which your pu- 

pils sit, stand, hold their books, mark their books, desks, 
and the walls of the schoolhouse? What attention do 
you give to outhouses? Are they fit for human beings? 

3. How do you control tendency to answer out of turn? 

4. How do you try to merit and hold the confidence and sym- 

pathy of your pupils? 

5. Are you certain that you are just and impartial in your 

relations to your pupils? Do you have a pet or two? 

6. Discuss written work, laughing in school, making mis- 

takes Cteacher,^ handling backward and absent children, 
motives on the part of children, rights and feelings of 
pupils. 

7. Discuss seating as a means of obtaining order and atten- 

tion. Illustrate from actual experience- 

8. Why should the teacher "see everything." 

9. Discuss correction— private — public — postponement of. 

10. How can commendation be made a powerful means of 

control even when applied to the worst child? 

11. Discuss frankness, sincerity, manners and language of 

teacher. 

12. Note the little things that take place and use knowledge at 

the proper time. 

SELECTING THE BOOKS FOR THE LIBRARY. 

The selection of a list of books for a rural school library re- 
quires care and the exercise of intelligent discretion. The problem 
is to get an adequate variety of equally helpful books with the 
expenditure of a limited amount of money. 

Some books are worthless, while others are positively harm- 
ful, and in the district school library the influence of the latter is 
doubled and the former robs the youth of the school of time that 
will never again avail them so much. 

The most common error in the make-up of district school 
libraries is the preponderance of adult books to the neglect of 
the more juvenile minds. If the child has an adequate supply of 
properly adapted reading at his arm's length from the time he is 
six till he is sixteen, directing his reading from that time on will 
be an easy matter. In reading as in many other things coming out 
right depends largely on starting in right. 



39 



For beginning readers the story ranks essily first, but good as it 
is the story can easily be overdone. It is a grave mistake to create 
an insatiable appetite for mere "stories." The dead level of the 
usefulness of the story is easily reached and it is frequently 
necessary to put a check upon children especially inclined to this 
line of literature. 

Possibly biography should be ranked second in the scale of 
merit. Children are Iboin hero-worshipers and rarely tire of 
hearing of the deeds of good men, and great. In this 
care must be exercised in the character of the heroes the children 
are permited to hold up before them. The exploits of outlaws and 
bandits are exciting and quickly absorb the boyish fancy, and just 
as quickly excite the boyish mind and shatter whatever foundation 
may have been laid for saner things. 

Animal life is next in importance and usefulnes.s. Stories of 
this character rarely fail to interest and when written by men of 
scientific attainments they are both instructive and beneficial 
ethically. The excellent books on animal life, and forestry and 
agriculture as well, now becoming so numerous, are of the highest 
value in putting the pupil' in harmony and sympathy with his en- 
vironment, thus fitting him for happier and better living. 

Books of travel also afford a wide range of useful material and 
are generally popular with the younger as well as the older pupils. 
The wise traveler finds abundant means to instill seed ideas of 
architecture, sculpture, painting, mechanical industries, engineer- 
ing, geographic diversities, social life and a score of other realms. 
This field is limited only by the amount of time that may be de- 
voted to it. 

It is essential that Ihe range of the child's reading should in- 
clude a due proportion of verse, beginning with the rhymes of 
of Mother Goose and continuing through to Longfellow's Hiawatha 
and Tennyson's Xocksley Hall Verse cultivates the finer sensi- 
bilities and inspires a love for the beautiful. It is worthy of note 
that by far the greater part of the literature that has lived down 
through the ages is preserved in verse. 

While in juvenile literature the most recent years have been far 
more prolific then all the ages past, yet here as in adult literature 
it would be a serious error to omit the classics such as Robinson 
Crusoe, Alice in Wonderland, Grimm's Fairy Tales. Child's Garden 
of Verses, Pilgrim's Progress, Gulliver's Travels, King of the 
Golden River, Story of Little Nell, John Halifax, Silas Marner, 
The Wonder Book, and Last of the Mohicans. In fact, it is hardly 



40 



possible to make the mistake of getting too many of the well- 
tried classics. It is the abundance even of the best books that 
perplexes us. 

CStudy and discuss library lists given in the Elementary 
Course of Study.) 

EXERCI3E IN PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING. 



almond 


verbatim 


sergeant 


attacked' 


romance 


Worcester 


drowned 


area 


raillery 


bronchitis 


sacrifice 


canine 


gape 


orthoepy. 


lamentable 


creek 


anemone 


jaundice 


data 


digest 


lichen 


raspberry 


hundred 


benzine 


yacht 


February 


obligatory 


balmoral 


maintain 


engine 


stjychnine 


acclimate 


recess 


faucet 


patron 


forbade 


recipe 


patronize 


equation 


arctic 


height 


mirage 


wiseacre 


children 


history 


apricot 


mountainous 


integral 


incisor 


mischievous 


listen 


dog 


construe 


government 


doth 


clapboard 


dynamite 


donkey 


says 


comparable 


fatigue 


docile 


predecessor 


finance 


admirable 


contumely 


frontier 


haunted 


heroine 


ducat 


tooth 


telegrapher 


what 


bade 


precedent 


yellow 


partrdge 


seine 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ^ 

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019 739 193 5 



